Trump pushes past sting of Gaetz's exit with flurry of new picks

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

61% : Trump followed that move on Friday by naming hedge fund executive Scott Bessent as his choice for treasury secretary following days of hand-wringing over the position that is fifth in the line of succession and of keen interest to global investors.
58% : Alex Wong, a former representative for North Korea and a State Department adviser, was named to return as the principal deputy to the national security adviser -- a position Trump has asked Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Florida) to fill.
52% : The decision was simple: Trump wanted him for attorney general, a position the president-elect took special interest in because of his experience being investigated for trying to interfere with the 2020 election results and mishandling classified records.
45% : The person emphasized that Trump did not pressure Gaetz to bow out and understood it was his decision.
43% : We're tracking the people Trump has picked or is considering to fill his Cabinet and key positions in his administration.
38% : Special counsel Jack Smith signaled he is winding down those cases after Trump won the Nov. 5 election.
36% : The day after former congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to lead the Justice Department, Trump pushed ahead with a burst of fresh announcements for planned appointments, including some controversial picks.
33% : Trump and Gaetz spoke about the decision on Thursday morning before Gaetz announced his withdrawal, according to a person briefed on the conversation.
32% : One aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations, said the Gaetz withdrawal was more of a learning experience for the Senate and Trump than a setback.
29% : Pushing for recess appointments would also mean acknowledging Trump lacked support from within his own party, which will have a 53-seat majority.
26% : Trump threw down a gauntlet on Nov. 10 by demanding recess appointments, a constitutional maneuver to bypass confirmation hearings and votes.
23% : By announcing a new attorney general nominee less than seven hours after Gaetz withdrew, Trump helped keep the process moving and avoided getting bogged down in the defeat, said several advisers, speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe internal conversations.
17% : Gaetz resigned from Congress days before the ethics report was scheduled to become public -- a sequence of events that angered Trump, this person said.

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